For this reason, ‘Dracula’ star Bela Lugosi was buried in his costume

Bela Lugosi, who made his mark as Dracula Hollywoodinsisted to reporters that he had battled a crippling drug addiction for more than two decades, but one author claimed he “deliberately exaggerated” his story for a heartbreaking reason.

“What he said was that he had been dependent on drugs for twenty years, in some cases even twenty-five years,” author Robert Cremer told Fox News Digital. “But he greatly exaggerated the story… And this exaggeration of his dependence on drugs was partly directed at (his fourth wife) in the hope that she would feel guilty, reconcile with him and come back to him.”

“He wanted to win back his wife and son,” Cremer added.

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Hungarian-American actor Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ‘Dracula’. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Cremer, who was a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, will publish a new book on December 17. “Bela Lugosi: the man behind the Cape.” It contains more than 700 photographs, family objects and historical documents, many of which have never been seen outside Lugosi’s family. It also highlights interviews with those who knew the actor over the years.

“Bela Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape” will be released on December 17. (Clover Press)

Cremer has known the Lugosi family for over 50 years. His original book about the Hungarian artist was published in 1976. His upcoming release is the only authorized biography of the star, who died in 1956 at the age of 73.

Lugosi brought Dracula to life in Hollywood after his success in the stage leading role, The Los Angeles Times reported. His performance, with a distinct accent, slicked back black hair, a flowing cape and a charming personality, helped define how vampires have been portrayed on screen over the years.

“This exaggerated idea that he was dependent on drugs for so long is absolute nonsense.”

— Robert Cremer, author of “Bela Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape”

Bela Lugosi performing as Dracula on stage, circa 1927. (The Lugosi Collection)

But despite his rise to fame, Lugosi became dependent on morphine due to injuries he suffered in World War I. Turner Classic Films (TCM) reported.

“His (fourth wife) Lillian made it very clear that he was not dependent on drugs until 1953 – after their divorce – until he committed himself to rehabilitation in 1955,” Cremer explained. ‘She previously said he was not a drug addict in any sense. He only took the medication when he was in really extreme pain caused by this World War I injury. He didn’t take it regularly like a drug addict would. He only took it when absolutely necessary to relieve the pain.”

Bela Lugosi’s fourth wife, Lillian Arch, was 30 years his junior, said author Robert Cremer. (The Lugosi Collection)

Cremer said Lugosi had hoped his story would gain sympathy from studio heads and offer him more roles to support his family.

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Bela Lugosi with his fourth wife, Lillian Arch, circa 1951. (Harold Clements/Express/Getty Images)

“Lillian’s divorce in 1953 He was a very proud man and he took his marriage seriously. He took his responsibility for his family very seriously. And in those years, between 1948 and… the early 1950s, he was constantly on the road.”

Bela Lugosi is seen in a Los Angeles hospital circa 1955 to treat his drug addiction. The 72-year-old told reporters that he had been using narcotics for 20 years. (Getty Images)

“… This is a man who is well past retirement age, with sciatica problems that caused him a lot of pain along the way,” Cremer said. “He felt a responsibility that he wanted to provide adequately for his wife and son.”

Lugosi married Lillian in 1933. They welcomed his only child, a son named Bela G. Lugosi, in 1938.

Bela Lugosi and Lillian Arch welcomed Bela Lugosi Jr. in 1938. (The Lugosi Collection)

Cremer previously spoke with the doctor who treated Lugosi for his drug addiction, and with Lillian before she died in 1981.

“I brought boxes of Kleenex to Lillian’s house when we talked about (the divorce),” Cremer recalled. “The tears flowed endlessly. She really loved him, but Bela could not overcome his jealousy. And because there was an age difference of 30 years, he always felt that he was inadequate as a husband and was very jealous. For that reason he had the feeling that Lillian was looking for younger men, which was absolutely not the case. Because of the jealousy, Lillian finally felt that she could no longer expose her son Bela Jr. to the tension, the arguments and his accusations .

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“This exaggerated idea that he was dependent on drugs for so long is absolute nonsense,” Cremer continued. “Lillian repeated that… countless times. She said, ‘It’s so important to me to make sure people know the real background to this.’

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Bela Lugosi and his son on the set of his 1948 film ‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’. (The Lugosi Collection)

‘The newspapers, of course, based their reports on what Bela had said. But this deliberate exaggeration was never covered by the press in later years.’

Cremer noted that the main reason Lillian was willing to speak out was to set the record straight.

Bela Lugosi, circa 1931. (The Lugosi Collection)

“We agreed that we wanted to clear up this drug problem once and for all so that there is no more misinformation floating around about it,” Cremer added.

Bela Lugosi struggled with painful sciatica in his later years. (George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Lugosi suffered from painful sciatica in his later years. Still, he was determined to perform for fans. Cremer described how, before appearing on stage as Dracula, where he had to climb out of a coffin, he was “terrified” that a hip attack would occur on stage, interrupting his performance.

Lugosi’s granddaughter, Lynne Lugosi Sparks, told Fox News Digital that it was important for the family to address the decades-long rumors about his drug use.

Bela Lugosi’s granddaughter, Lynne Lugosi Sparks, told Fox News Digital that she wanted to address the mistruths about the late star’s life in Robert Cremer’s family-approved book. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

“The first three chapters of the book are about the end of his life and getting that topic out of the way because the rest of his life story is so interesting and important,” she explained. “… We immediately knew my grandmother’s feelings about what the true situation was. And then we really get to the heart of the book, which is this beautiful story about Bela’s life.”

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At the end of his life, Bela Lugosi felt he had been forgotten. (John Kisch Archive/Getty Images)

Cremer said Lugosi was exploited by movie studios. At the end of his life, the actor felt like he had been forgotten.

“Lillian told me that after he starred in ‘Dracula’ (in 1931), he almost immediately began appearing in small roles, some of which were not even credited,” he explained. “… She felt these roles were far below his status as a major Hollywood star. His best friend… who I interviewed endlessly said he spoke to him and asked, ‘Why are you taking this uncredited and very small roles on you?’ Bela said, ‘I want people to see me more.’… He felt that if he could keep his face constantly on the screen, it would increase his popularity and status, which was not true.”

Bela Lugosi was a sought-after actor on stage before he was discovered by Hollywood. (The Lugosi Collection)

“This tendency of his to take small roles for very low salaries gave the studios the impression that they could get him for a nickel or a dime, while they would have to pay other actors much more,” Cremer said. “They also knew that no matter what role he was in, he gave a great performance… This trend continued throughout his career… It was a tragic story.”

Bela Lugosi is seen here preparing to bite Vampira’s neck, circa 1956. He died that year at the age of 73. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Lugosi died in his apartment suffered a heart attack at the age of 73. His fifth and final wife, Hope Lininger, said the actor “seemed to be getting better month by month” after his drug treatment.

Lugosi Sparks said her grandmother and father chose to bury her grandfather in his costume.

Lynne Lugosi Sparks is determined to keep her late grandfather’s legacy alive. (The Lugosi Collection)

“It was their way of paying tribute to the role he created and was known for, even though at the time they had no idea that, just a few years later, there would be a revival of horror films, and they would be on on TV,” she said.

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Bela Lugosi was buried in his Dracula costume. (Getty Images)

“Bela… thought he was forgotten. And that tribute to him, burying him in that cape and costume, was their way of saying, ‘This is Bela. Bela is Dracula. This was (the) performance of his life .'”